​Yesterday, the date was making me absolutely crazy. I couldn't figure out the significance of April 26th, and it was bothering me all day. Was it a birthday? Maybe one of an old friend with whom I am no longer in contact, so it wasn't clear to me? No, today I found out what the significance was, and it was actually an anniversary.

April 26th isn't the anniversary between two people... it's the anniversary between a man and his job. To be more specific, my dad and the plumbing industry. Yesterday marked thirty-nine years since he's been in the business. Thirty-nine years! That's insane!

Since I was working yesterday, I didn't get to talk to my dad at all yesterday. He's already at work before I wake up in the morning, and he's already asleep before I get home from my job. So it wasn't until today that he happened to mention the milestone in conversation, and I suddenly realized why the date had been on my mind. I guess I remembered from previous years that it was an important date, but the significance had been lost to me in the moment.

So I would just like to give a huge shout-out to my dad for an incredible thirty-nine years in the plumbing industry. He has always worked tirelessly to make a living in order to support our family, no matter how many kids we've had at any given time. He has sacrificed a lot over the years in the business, all to put our needs first, and we really couldn't ask for a better dad. He gets home at night covered in dirt and grime, worn out, and ready for bed, but he always puts his wife and kids first and has numerous conversations about home and school before he can rest. Here's to my dad... the industry is darn lucky to have had him for so many good years, and more to come.

Then there's me, at the opposite end of the career spectrum, just starting out. My dad asked me tonight if I've heard anything back from literary agents, but of course it's still too early. I've been trying not to think about the process, but I checked the calendar after our conversation and realized that it's already been over three weeks since I started submitting my novel to agents. Most agencies say that if they're interested in your work, then you'll usually hear back in about six weeks. So that means I'm more than halfway to my date for when I can start letting thoughts of the book consume my mind once again.

In the meantime, I started working on yet another book. I know, I know, I still haven't accomplished a whole lot with the other two books that I began writing. There's a picture book in the works, another Young Adult novel that has two pages written, and now I'm beginning a new project. This one's a little bit different... it's a children's picture book, but it's kind of educational as well. It's something that I believe teachers would be able to use in the classroom in lower elementary school, so I'm excited to see where this goes. As I started jotting down notes for myself, I thought about how I would have used a book like this in the classroom, and that's pushing my writing in a certain direction that I hope will work well. I don't really have any interest in writing non-fiction books, but I do think that works of fiction can be written in such a way that kids can learn from them while enjoying a good story. My fingers are crossed that it turns out the way I'm picturing it.

Your continued support means the world to me. From foster care to novels, and family to work experiences, I look forward to sharing more of my life with you each day. Don't hesitate to share your own stories with me or ask me questions about my life. Please don't forget to like and share my Facebook author page as well!

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About

My family has been doing foster care since I was three years old. I'm the only biological child in my family, though I now have five permanent siblings. Having nineteen siblings over the course of my lifetime has been an incredible experience, and I'm hoping that by sharing some of the ups and downs of being the only bio kid in a foster family, other foster families or people looking into doing foster care will be able to learn a bit of what life can be like. I also like to share what life is like on my journey to becoming a published author, as well as where my schooling and career choice are taking me.